The research initiative “Consumer Trends in Natural and Organic Personal Care,” conducted by New Hope Natural Media, will give retailers powerful insight into how consumers make purchasing decisions.

The nationwide survey of more than 600 consumers compared the personal care habits of Delicious Living magazine readers (a natural lifestyle publication) with those of conventional shoppers. “Delicious Living had the audience and we had the knowledge base inside New Hope to ask the right questions,” says Nancy Coulter-Parker, New Hope’s group editorial director and head of the project.

Coulter-Parker offered a sneak peak at the research findings:

When shopping for personal care products, both Delicious Living and mainstream audiences agreed that general health and well-being, followed by price, are the most important priorities.

Both “dark-green” and “light-green” shoppers rely on labels as their main source of personal care product information. “Even though the Delicious Living audience said they were somewhat skeptical of labels, they still relied heavily on ingredient lists, certifications and product messaging,” Coulter-Parker says.

Delicious Living readers believe they have more control over their health than their conventional counterparts. While 87 percent of the Delicious Living audience agreed that the products they use have an effect on their health, only 78 percent of the mainstream audience felt the same. The difference highlights a significant education gap—and marketing opportunity—in the national audience, Coulter-Parker says.

Consumers are embracing nutricosmetics, the concept of “beauty from within.” Roughly 60 percent of respondents said they would be willing to try nutricosmetics in lotion or gel capsule form, although significantly less were interested in other delivery methods such as dissolvable tablets, health drinks or food-based products.

Research will be available at New Hope Natural Media’s booth 1448. To purchase a full copy of the report, contact Rick Hand, rick.hand@penton.com.